Motor Sports

With one race left in this year’s SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Touring Car schedule, Mazda was able to clinch the Manufacturer’s title. The title was the company’s first with the MAZDA6 platform.

Tri-Point Motorsports’ drivers Jeff Altenburg and Randy Pobst were the leading players in Mazda’s title chase. Altenburg finished 10th and kept his lead in the driver’s championship race, while Pobst finished 15th after being punted off the track late in the race, reported JMS Motorsports Marketing.

“Congratulations to Mazda on winning the SPEED World Challenge Touring Car Manufacturer’s Championship! I’m proud of the Tri Point Motorsports Team for their part in winning it after many years of trying so hard. Now we head to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the finale to settle the Driver’s Championship!” said Altenburg of #72 Tri-Point MAZDA6.

Weather for the 45-minute scheduled Touring Car race was wet but both Tri-Point drivers were happy for the condition. This is because they know that their MAZDA6 have usually been fast in rainy conditions.

“In the rain on the warm up lap at Road Atlanta, I was optimistic. I’m normally really good at such conditions, and my Mazda 6 felt much improved in the rain at Mosport in practice. Well, after a good start, we were hit hard in the second turn of the race by an overzealous competitor. The suspension was bent, but we were able to continue in a wounded condition, which is much better than Mid-Ohio,” noted Pobst of #73 Tri-Point MAZDA6.

“A difficult race became a tragic comedy when a Mazda friend punted me and him into the gravel in the last corner. On to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca! Special thanks to Tri-Point Motorsports, Mazdaspeed, Chase Cam, Stop Tech, Weathertech, APR Tuning, and Team Janica Racing… what an adventure!” added Pobst.

The Tri-Point squad is now heading to the second finale at Raceway Laguna Seca near Monterey, California. It will start on the 19th and will end on the 21st of this month. With the title secure in Mazda’s hand, the fight will be between Altenburg and Pobst.

Formula One’s rule is beating other teams. In McLaren Mercedes, British rookie Lewis Hamilton, with 70 points, leads the driver’s championship by two points against teammate two-time world champion Fernando Alonso. Inside the Scuderia team, there is a scorching rivalry between Felipe Massa with 59 points and Kimi Raikkonen with 52.

The McLaren and Ferrari battle is heightened by their driver’s close scores. In the Bavarian team, next to Nick Heidfeld with 36 points is Robert Kubica with 24. Giancarlo Fisichella flaunts 17 points while teammate Heikki Kovalainen garners 17. Teammates are their closest rivals.

The 22-year-old Briton is having some nose-to-nose clash of points with the 26-year-old Spaniard driver. An air of it is reflected in the new 60-second McLaren Mercedes promotional ad, which also featured the legendary driver of the team – Mika Häkkinen.

How blistering is the rivalry? With seven races remaining, Hamilton and Alonso are separated by only two points.

Despite the alleged espionage and the threat of a possible expulsion still hanging over McLaren, the team is positive this Formula One season would not just turn out to be phenomenal but blissful as well.

Currently, the team is getting ready for the Hungarian Grand Prix to dig a favorable finish. The drivers do not get too confident because they know they still have bigger fish to fry…

Lewis Hamilton believes McLaren will be exonerated at next week’s hearing into the Formula One “spy” scandal, reports BBC Sport. Hamilton, teammate Fernando Alonso and the entire McLaren team face the prospect of having points docked or even ejected off the championship competition if they are found guilty of breaking the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile rules. McLaren boss Ron Dennis has unwaveringly maintained his and his team’s innocence in the whole affair since news broke of Coughlan’s suspension on 3 July. It was alleged by the Scuderia team that some of the members of McLaren, including Martin Whitmarsh, were aware of the Ferrari documents. “I know the team is working hard on it,” says Hamilton, who is struggling to overcome a ‘flu bug in time for Sunday’s European Grand Prix in Germany.

“I do feel they are one of the most honest teams out there,” says Hamilton. Meanwhile, Hamilton’s goal will be to get well for Sunday’s Nurburgring race.